Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  windows - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By youre kidding - May 11 - 10:00 am

  This is one of the worst vehicles I have owned. You cannot open the windows with other people in the car, it feels like your head is going to explode. Sometimes it feels and sounds like a helicopter is hovering you. If you are by yourself you cannot have more than 1 window open because its the same thing and for $36000. I expect a little more from a car and also this problem has been going on for at least 5 years from the reviews Ive read while researching this. Shame on Dodge this is inexcusable.

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  Great car for the money - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Ed - May 10 - 1:00 pm

  Car is a blast to drive and outperforms many cars that cost more than twice as much. I have owned two SRT-4s and have found them to be very reliable. On the downside, the interior looks cheap and there are various squeaks and rattles. These surfaced very early on. Build quality - particularly the paint leaves something to be desired. Mechanically, Ive had no issues. The SRT-4 has many practical features and has been great as a daily commuter and is not bad on long trips. For the tuner crowd, the SRT-4 is well supported by the aftermarket and there are plenty of performance upgrades available.

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  poor - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By op - April 27 - 10:56 pm

  bought this vehicle with 19000 miles, it has now 44500 miles and water leaks in from driver side and passenger side every time it rains, transmision nose dives when coming to a complete stop. some problems with electric power doors. Would not recomend this vehicle if youlike to use to travel in.

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  Im a Dodge woman, but... - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By melinda - April 24 - 7:36 am

  Purchased used in 2005, had to rebuild transmission. The glove box latch tricky then finally broke, passenger side back door mysteriously broke, no one seemed to know how. I suspected the children until I was driving down the road one night and the one behind me suddenly blew up! Not a clue what happened, hoping the dealership will let me know tomorrow. A lot of pinging in the engine when accelerating. Uses oil like crazy. Cant roll the back windows down if going very fast because of the ear popping and noise. I have gone through 2 alternators and the check engine light is always playing tricks.

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  Nice ride, but utterly unreliable - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dfr - April 8 - 9:07 pm

  The car handles well, looks nice, and gets good mileage but is a maintenance nightmare. I was stranded twice by the electrical system while under warranty. In the last 6 months, the car has needed a new oil tray and oil pump ($600) a new timing chain and tensioner ($1200) a new water pump ($800) and a new ais motor and pcv valve with odds and ends for $700. All these repairs were needed between 50,000 and 58,000 miles! Although all cars have problems, having this many on a car this young is completely unacceptable. Aside from the financial hardship, this vehicles lack of reliability forced me to miss two job interviews and a vacation.

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  Good car, bad truck - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Nic - April 5 - 11:39 am

  This is the least offroad capable four wheel drive truck I have ever used. The four wheel drive basically has a two wheel drive suspension that makes it sit so low to the ground that the ground clearance, approach angle and departure angle are most car-like than truck-like. If you never plan to leave the the road it is a capable vehicle that rides well, is comfortable, and tows well, but if you do avoid this truck like the plague.

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  Dont waste your money! - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Melissa - April 3 - 12:55 pm

  I bought the car because I loved the look, and it seemed great durning the test drive Its had issues since I bought it! The steering wheel mysteriously locks up, then releases its self, the brakes and rotors have been changed many times, by different people, so the constant squeaking and grinding I know has to be a problem with the car. The dash board rattles, the road noise is horrible, the windshield wipers are a joke (not the blades, the bolt holding them on, the part that squirts the cleaner, etc) And now the trannys going out. Theres so much more to complain about but Ill just leave it as Ill never buy another and highly suggest no one else does either!

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  Underpowered version - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Mac - March 28 - 1:43 pm

  I like the looks and style of the car but the engine is underpowered without getting great gas mileage. Have had some mechanical issues also. A good car but dont get the SXT underpowered model.

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  Dont buy a Dodge! - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Kenneth - March 14 - 3:48 pm

  I originally bought this truck due to it being the best truck for the money compared to the others. Now, I have constant problems with it. The power steering pump constantly screams as if it is low on fluid even though it is full. I have had difficulty getting the truck to start on 4 occasions, but the dealer cant duplicate the problem to diagnose it. The door is now sagging due to it not being tightened down all the way at the factory, and the body lean even at low speeds is excessive. I have taken the truck in to 3 different dealers for repair, and have had similar negative results with all. This truck is affordable initially, but is more expensive in the long run.

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  Not too bad! - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Justin - March 5 - 6:27 am

  So I bought this car with 228 000km on it and it has about 236,000. It has been back to Nb a couple of times. I only have had to replace the front brake pads! The engine makes unusual noises but then again i drive it pretty hard. It was kinda last minute decision to buy this car. Pick it up sick for a v6 but like i said its older and underpowered. Shakes on the highway and just in generally very poorly constructed. Transmission is so unreliable its a sin but still Im attached to it. It isnt bad for first car owners